Rachel Maddow: Antonin Scalia 'a troll'

2/28/13 11:34 PM EST

Maddow was referencing Justice Scalia's declaration that the Voting Rights Act was evidence of the “perpetuation of racial entitlement," a remark he made during a Wednesday's hearing, at which Maddow was present.

Maddow took issue with Scalia's suggestion that voting was something an individual was entitled to on the basis of his or her race.

"I think he knows how that sounds, and that's the neat thing about being there in person, is you can see: Oh, actually, he's a troll," Maddow said to the applause of the studio audience.

"He knows it's offensive. He knows he's going to get a gasp from the court room, which he got. And he loves it," Maddow continued. "He's like the guy on your blog comment thread who is using the N-word -- 'Oh did I make you mad? Did I make you mad? Did I make you mad?' — he's like that."

"When we're all shocked that he said something so blatantly offensive about the cornerstone of the Civil Rights Act, he's thinking: 'Oh yeah, I did,'" Maddow said.